West Coast posies

Eye-catching lily

Wherever we travel, flora both wild and domesticated attract my attention. I found much to enjoy during our recent West Coast travel, but I remain in the dark about the identities of the plants posted here. Even without knowing the names of my new plant friends, they supplied an additional layer of pleasure for me on our trip.

Lilies create swaths of pink

Pink lilies graced yards and roadsides on our drive south from Oregon. Husband Walter took the photos above for me in an old rural cemetery. Their color, shape and abundance charmed me, and I wondered if they are native or are escapees from gardens. 

Lavender blossom at a coastal California coffee shop

There is more to my interest in blossoms, though, than color, scent, shape and natural history. My nearsightedness and other assorted vision conditions make me appreciate the fact that flowers don’t run away or fly off.

Tiny, white and unidentified

Since my April 2011 stroke I have balance and mobility challenges that I am still working on, and I find flowers offer abundant subjects that are often easy to get to for closeup photos.

I suppose the pleasure derived from attempting close-up photos of flowers and other objects also stems from my nearsightedness. The old adage of “How the twig is bent . . .” applies. My twig was definitely bent to observe close-up details. After 10 years of seeing clearly only what was within inches of my nose, a new screening program at my elementary school revealed my myopia. Now I enjoy capturing macro images, even though with the glasses I now wear, I can also savor panoramic views.

Oregon coast

Hubby was wheeling me around in a lightweight transporter over the paved walkways along the coastline captured in the photo above. I was able to shoot several coast views that are a dramatic contrast to our near sea-level coastline on the Gulf of Mexico. On our “stroll” I spotted purple aster-like flowers that were attracting bees.

Of course I wanted to snap, snap, snap with my camera. But the wind was whipping. And even with the sunshine and my heavy jacket I became chilled and started shivering. I knew I would have difficulty balancing and keeping my camera still for taking in-focus closeups. Hubby graciously took my camera and captured the photo below.

Bee and bloom by Husband Walter.

A landscaped bed in the Shelter Cove, California, community sported this small evergreen with red fruit.

Bright and weird